"We had these songs ready to record so we decided to get in there and start to do them."
It has been 25 years since Simple Minds originally appeared out of the explosion in punk rock. Kerr and Charlie Burchill both met in a sandpit in a housing estate.
They are best known around the world for their 1985 hit, Don't You Forget About Me. But that was only the tip of the iceberg for the band with a huge back catalogue.
Simple Minds have always been characterised by a relentless energy which is why it was so surprising during the success of the Nineties they decided to quit.
Kerr explains: "The Nineties for us was a period of success but then I lost the desire to keep playing and I didn't feel connected to the music. It wasn't vital to me any more.
"Everyone has a period when you feel like that I suppose but I sat out instead of faking it by keeping on playing."
Speaking from a hotel room in London, Kerr adds: "The thing is we are all over the world now and we all meet up to work. It is not like when you first start off and you are in each other's pockets like when you start.
"Now we meet up and work. It is not just a business arrangement. We are not just a company. We do this because we want to. This is pretty far from an office job.
"When we meet up and work it is like it always was.
"We have got so many songs in the back catalogue that we can always play a set list that has a few tracks that the public might not have heard life for a while.
"We always have certain tracks that we play every time but beyond that there is a bit of freedom. At least it keeps it interesting for us.
"We won't necessarily play anything new though. People pay the money to see you and you play a new track and the crowd can be a bit like 'eh? What this all about'. We want to make it as fun as possible."
* SIMPLE Minds play the Summer Pops tomorrow. Tickets are still available. Their new album is out later this year.
